Disclaimer: All the characters from Dark Angle that I didn't make up along
with the world they live in belong to James Cameron and Fox. The characters
of Red Bud and Dree are loosely based on friends of mine and I don't and
never want to own them. The 4:24 name does not belong to me either; it
belongs to a good grope of guys from my hometown. As for the rest well
that is a figment of my imagination.
A/N: Ok, after the last chapter I received a review about moving the story along and speeding up the release of chapters. I apologize for it taking me a week or more to write a chapter. I don't have computer at home so I do all of my writing/transcribing at work when I have the free time. I also want this story to be solid with little or no holes, and that takes time. I am glad people are reading my story and I will keep writing it, as slowly as it may be.
Hope and Memory
Chapter 7: Meeting the Enemy
Gabe had slowly removed the woman's blood and dirt covered clothes and was now in the process of cleaning around the various wounds. He ignored her nakedness. Working methodically and with great care not to cause more damage to her already brutalized body. Most of the heavy blood loss had stopped but the bullet wounds as well as the gash on her forehead still seeped a little here and there.
He had taken the precaution earlier and had laid down his spare plastic shower curtain to keep the blood and muck off his bed. Sheets and mattresses were expensive and hard to come-by, if you wanted them clean anyway.
Gabe concentrated on the areas around and near where the bullets had entered as well as the nasty gash. The rest could wait until after Red got here he though.
Man what were you doing out in the middle of a rainstorm with a bunch of freaking commandos chasing you.
Gabe finished the front and slowly turned her onto her stomach. Her back was in okay shape except for a few buses and the bullet exit wound. It was then he noticed the tattoo on the base of her neck. It was a strange one, a small barcode at the base of the skull. It also seemed familiar but he just couldn't place why or where he had seen one like it. Gabe shrugged it off figuring it had to have been at Crash. He had probably seen every type of tattoo you could imagine and in a variety of locations on the body.
The electronic buzz of his doorbell stopped further contemplation. Shit! He had told Red to just come up why is the dumb ass ringing the bell. Getting up from his work he went to a small black n white monitor that was connected to a small camera placed over the door in the ally.
It wasn't Red and it wasn't good. A medium built man in a brown trench coat stood patiently at his door. Who the hell could this be? He reached over and pushed a small button on the wall.
"Can I help you?" Gabe said into the mic above the button.
"Good evening sir. I'm detective Smitty will the Seattle police department; we have had a report of a burglary near here tonight. I am doing a building to building check to find out if you noticed anything wrong." After he finishes he flashed his badge to the camera. "May I come in and get a brief statement."
"Yeah give me a minute I was just getting out of the shower." Gabe new most of the police officers in this sector and was familiar with all of the detectives. This guy wasn't one of them. Either he was new to the sector or he wasn't a cop. Gabe was betting on the later. The shower story was a time honored time buyer and worked about 90 percent of the time in Gabe's experience. He went over to the woman he had to hide her and hide here fast. He wrapped her carefully in the shower curtain and pushed her under the bed. It was obvious but not after you though a spread large enough too drape the floor. Now that she was hidden he gathered her clothes and threw them into the clothes hamper. Removing his own now and throwing them on top.
Going back out to the living the living room Gabe pushed the talk button again. "I buzzing you up." He pushed the lock release button and watched the man open the door and walk into his building.
He had another 60 seconds to make the shower excuse work and that was plenty of time. He ran to the bathroom and jumped in. 10 seconds later he was out and grabbing the towel next to him began to dry off on the way back to the bedroom to grab a pair of short and a tank top. The knock on the door came as he was pulling a tank top over his head. "Coming!" He yelled as he sauntered to the door. It was charm time. He had to get this man in, out, and down the road before Red arrived.
Gabe opened the door, "Come on in detective." He watched closely as the so- called detective walked into his apartment. "Can I get you a drink?" He asked as he shut the door behind the man.
"That's OK sir this will only take a minute." The detective pulled out a small note pad. "Can I have your name for the record?"
"Sure, it's Gabriel Rath."
"Have you been home all evening?"
"No sir. I was working till about 2 AM. I got home about an hour or so ago." Gabe wasn't going to lie if he could help it. If there really was a robbery and he was wrong about the detective he didn't need the grief of filing a false statement. "What exactly happened?"
"Oh nothing major, Sir" Smitty was looking around the room now taking in every detail. "Where do you work and what do you do?"
"I am a bouncer for The Crash. And what is nothing major?" Gabe could tell he was good at what he did. But so was he and he was better.
"Just a report on a break-in across the street. We received an anonymous call, you weren't the one who called were you?" Stated Smitty as he poked his head into the bedroom and then walk back to stand next to Gabe.
Gabe new that the detective already new the answer to his own question and was just using it to buy look around time, "No it wasn't me. Well as you can see sir. I have had a late night and I wish I could help you, but I can't." He walked back to the door and opened it again for the detective.
"That's fine sir if you hear or see anything please don't hesitate to call me." The detective pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Gabe. "Have a nice night, Mr. Rath."
"I will detective. Try to stay dry." The staying dry part was a complete lie. Gabe really hopes the man caught pneumonia and died. He closed the door after the detective walked out locking it again. Walking to the monitor he watch to make sure the bastard really left.
A small groan coming from the bedroom caused Gabe to jump and then bolt to woman who he had stashed under his bed. Throwing back the coverlet he saw the figure wriggling back n forth in her plastic wrapping. 'Oh shit' was the only phase running threw his mind as picked her gently of the hard floor and placed her back on the bed.
The moans were becoming sobs now as he unwrapped her from the plastic curtain. "Shussshhh." He breathed softly in her ear. "Every thing is going to be OK."
She couldn't hear anything. All she felt was pain. She couldn't even think. She shifted and squirmed like her body was on fire.
Gabe just kept running his hand over her hair and tried to keep her movement to a minimum. Damn! I need some anesthesia, He thought, or she was seriously going to aggravate her wounds more.
He kept whispering soothing words in the woman's ear trying to calm her as he silently prayed for Red to hurry up and get here.
A/N: I am sorry for the time it took for this chapter. I am placing all blame on work. The next one should be up much sooner.
A/N: Ok, after the last chapter I received a review about moving the story along and speeding up the release of chapters. I apologize for it taking me a week or more to write a chapter. I don't have computer at home so I do all of my writing/transcribing at work when I have the free time. I also want this story to be solid with little or no holes, and that takes time. I am glad people are reading my story and I will keep writing it, as slowly as it may be.
Hope and Memory
Chapter 7: Meeting the Enemy
Gabe had slowly removed the woman's blood and dirt covered clothes and was now in the process of cleaning around the various wounds. He ignored her nakedness. Working methodically and with great care not to cause more damage to her already brutalized body. Most of the heavy blood loss had stopped but the bullet wounds as well as the gash on her forehead still seeped a little here and there.
He had taken the precaution earlier and had laid down his spare plastic shower curtain to keep the blood and muck off his bed. Sheets and mattresses were expensive and hard to come-by, if you wanted them clean anyway.
Gabe concentrated on the areas around and near where the bullets had entered as well as the nasty gash. The rest could wait until after Red got here he though.
Man what were you doing out in the middle of a rainstorm with a bunch of freaking commandos chasing you.
Gabe finished the front and slowly turned her onto her stomach. Her back was in okay shape except for a few buses and the bullet exit wound. It was then he noticed the tattoo on the base of her neck. It was a strange one, a small barcode at the base of the skull. It also seemed familiar but he just couldn't place why or where he had seen one like it. Gabe shrugged it off figuring it had to have been at Crash. He had probably seen every type of tattoo you could imagine and in a variety of locations on the body.
The electronic buzz of his doorbell stopped further contemplation. Shit! He had told Red to just come up why is the dumb ass ringing the bell. Getting up from his work he went to a small black n white monitor that was connected to a small camera placed over the door in the ally.
It wasn't Red and it wasn't good. A medium built man in a brown trench coat stood patiently at his door. Who the hell could this be? He reached over and pushed a small button on the wall.
"Can I help you?" Gabe said into the mic above the button.
"Good evening sir. I'm detective Smitty will the Seattle police department; we have had a report of a burglary near here tonight. I am doing a building to building check to find out if you noticed anything wrong." After he finishes he flashed his badge to the camera. "May I come in and get a brief statement."
"Yeah give me a minute I was just getting out of the shower." Gabe new most of the police officers in this sector and was familiar with all of the detectives. This guy wasn't one of them. Either he was new to the sector or he wasn't a cop. Gabe was betting on the later. The shower story was a time honored time buyer and worked about 90 percent of the time in Gabe's experience. He went over to the woman he had to hide her and hide here fast. He wrapped her carefully in the shower curtain and pushed her under the bed. It was obvious but not after you though a spread large enough too drape the floor. Now that she was hidden he gathered her clothes and threw them into the clothes hamper. Removing his own now and throwing them on top.
Going back out to the living the living room Gabe pushed the talk button again. "I buzzing you up." He pushed the lock release button and watched the man open the door and walk into his building.
He had another 60 seconds to make the shower excuse work and that was plenty of time. He ran to the bathroom and jumped in. 10 seconds later he was out and grabbing the towel next to him began to dry off on the way back to the bedroom to grab a pair of short and a tank top. The knock on the door came as he was pulling a tank top over his head. "Coming!" He yelled as he sauntered to the door. It was charm time. He had to get this man in, out, and down the road before Red arrived.
Gabe opened the door, "Come on in detective." He watched closely as the so- called detective walked into his apartment. "Can I get you a drink?" He asked as he shut the door behind the man.
"That's OK sir this will only take a minute." The detective pulled out a small note pad. "Can I have your name for the record?"
"Sure, it's Gabriel Rath."
"Have you been home all evening?"
"No sir. I was working till about 2 AM. I got home about an hour or so ago." Gabe wasn't going to lie if he could help it. If there really was a robbery and he was wrong about the detective he didn't need the grief of filing a false statement. "What exactly happened?"
"Oh nothing major, Sir" Smitty was looking around the room now taking in every detail. "Where do you work and what do you do?"
"I am a bouncer for The Crash. And what is nothing major?" Gabe could tell he was good at what he did. But so was he and he was better.
"Just a report on a break-in across the street. We received an anonymous call, you weren't the one who called were you?" Stated Smitty as he poked his head into the bedroom and then walk back to stand next to Gabe.
Gabe new that the detective already new the answer to his own question and was just using it to buy look around time, "No it wasn't me. Well as you can see sir. I have had a late night and I wish I could help you, but I can't." He walked back to the door and opened it again for the detective.
"That's fine sir if you hear or see anything please don't hesitate to call me." The detective pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Gabe. "Have a nice night, Mr. Rath."
"I will detective. Try to stay dry." The staying dry part was a complete lie. Gabe really hopes the man caught pneumonia and died. He closed the door after the detective walked out locking it again. Walking to the monitor he watch to make sure the bastard really left.
A small groan coming from the bedroom caused Gabe to jump and then bolt to woman who he had stashed under his bed. Throwing back the coverlet he saw the figure wriggling back n forth in her plastic wrapping. 'Oh shit' was the only phase running threw his mind as picked her gently of the hard floor and placed her back on the bed.
The moans were becoming sobs now as he unwrapped her from the plastic curtain. "Shussshhh." He breathed softly in her ear. "Every thing is going to be OK."
She couldn't hear anything. All she felt was pain. She couldn't even think. She shifted and squirmed like her body was on fire.
Gabe just kept running his hand over her hair and tried to keep her movement to a minimum. Damn! I need some anesthesia, He thought, or she was seriously going to aggravate her wounds more.
He kept whispering soothing words in the woman's ear trying to calm her as he silently prayed for Red to hurry up and get here.
A/N: I am sorry for the time it took for this chapter. I am placing all blame on work. The next one should be up much sooner.